A typical automobile has a rear lamp assembly at both ends of the rear of the automobile. Each assembly typically has at least three light sources, such as incandescent light bulbs, mounted in multiple reflective housings. A first bulb acts as a tail light and is illuminated when the front headlights or running lights are illuminated. The tail light indicates the boundaries of the automobile at night. A second bulb acts as a stop light and is illuminated when the driver steps on the brake pedal. A third bulb is a turn signal that is intermittently illuminated when the driver actuates the turn signal. Typically, the light bulbs emit white light, and a colored diffusive filter is fitted over the reflector to create red, orange, or amber light for the stop light, tail light, and turn signal.
It is known to replace incandescent light bulbs with LEDs for longer life and faster turn-on.
Typically, there are multiple reflectors in the rear lamp assembly, one for each light source, since each light source is located at or near the focal point of the reflector to achieve the desired light emission pattern. The multiple reflectors and separation of the light sources results in a relatively large and expensive rear light assembly.
It is desirable to reduce the size and cost of rear lamp assemblies for automobiles. The small dimensions of the LEDs help to meet these desires.